Monday, April 6, 2015

Mini Mock Interview…What’s It All About?

By Kiernan King, Toppel Peer Advisor

Interviews are a necessary component of the job application process and
Toppel offers a service to help make that process run a tad smoother; The Mini
Mock Interview. To obtain one, simply come to the office for walk-in advising
and meet with a fantastic peer advisor or graduate assistant. Getting ready for
Medical School? Preparing for Graduate School? Hoping to land your dream job?
We offer mock interviews in all of these areas Monday through Friday 10am –
4:30pm.

Interviews will always begin with the dreaded, “Tell Me About Yourself”
question. To answer such, one must stay relevant and keep the answer
professional. Consider these five easy steps:

Be Gracious. (Thank them for taking the time out of their day to meet
with you)

“My name is ____.” It’s never a bad idea to remind the employers who
they’re potentially hiring.

“I’m originally from…” Geographic relevance goes a long way and is one
of the easiest ways to connect with someone.

Use connecting words. “I’m currently a _____ at _____.” Here you can
list your title and where your most recent and relevant experience comes from.

“And this is what I do…” The final step is the trickiest yet most
important. Here you need to explain step 4 with a brief example of why they
should consider hiring you over someone else.

Remember, the elevator pitch should be less than three minutes. Be
careful not to overdo it. Be articulate, use general phrases. Your rhetoric and
ability to summarize will be graded here.

“What do you know about our company?” The easiest way to answer this
question: research, research, research! Gather all of the information you can
because it will show the employer you’re truly interested in working there
which will also impress them. If the least you do is read their Wikipedia page,
you’ll know that much more about that company. Also see if you can find a story
about the company in your local newspaper. Information on current events can
give you a leg up on the competition.

You will be challenged on your previous experiences. Not only do you
need to research the company, but be sure to go back through your own résumé
and remind yourself of the many experiences you’ve had, your responsibilities
there, and what you accomplished. Be sure to “flip” any negative aspects about
these positions into positive ones.

Be sure to highlight your interpersonal skills. These can always be
backed up by hard skills listed on your résumé, but in order for your
personality to really shine you need to refer to examples of how you positively
impacted a colleague, peer or client.

Midway through the interview we may pause and asses the number of “ums”
and “likes” said. This critique is only to help you avoid saying these words
and to get you feeling comfortable with a little bit of natural silence. A note
about your body language may be mentioned as well.

When employees ask you about your strengths, a good formula to go with
is to start with a word. Turn that word into a sentence and then make that
sentence become a story. Avoid cliché answers and be sure to say a skill for a
weakness and not personality traits because skills can be taught and adjusted
more easily than habits.

IMPORTANT: have a minimum of 3 questions to ask an employer at the end
of an interview! One can be an overarching question, one can be related to what
they find rewarding/challenging and one may be about opportunities for growth
within the company, for example. Be sure to never ask anything personal.

Final tips: invest in resume paper and bring about 5 copies to an
interview, go easy on the cologne, perfume, practice a firm handshake, be sure
to iron your shirt and know how to tie a tie! While dressing professional is
not required here, if you choose to do so we can offer a note or two on your
outfit.

Don’t approach this mock interview, or any interview, like a test that
you studied for the night before. You don’t want to sound rehearsed and the
best thing to do is be yourself. The peer advisors and graduate assistants will
listen to your answers and will provide honest feedback. Come see us, we don’t
bite!